Palace announces new Cabinet men
By TJ Burgonio, Tetch Torres
INQUIRER.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 12:25:00 03/03/2010
Filed Under: Government, Eleksyon 2010, Politics, Elections
MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 2) President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has named the new members of the Cabinet who would be replacing those who resigned following the Supreme Court order that appointive officials running for public office were deemed resigned as of March 2, a senior Malacanang official said.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said he would be replaced by Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza as he would be running for a congressional seat in Batangas.
Arroyo also named Solicitor General Alberto Agra to replace outgoing Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera, a congressional candidate in Quezon; Elena Bautista to replace outgoing Secretary Hermogenes Esperon, a partylist nominee, as head of the Presidential Management Staff; and Rogelio Peyjuan (not Pijuan as posted earlier) to replace outgoing Secretary Augusto Syjuco, another congressional bet, at the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Ermita said in a briefing Wednesday.
Arroyo has been considering Deputy Executive Secretary Joaquin “Jake†Lagonera as a replacement for outgoing Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya, he said.
Malacañang announced that outgoing Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap was replaced by undersecretary Bernardo Fondevilla.
Like Ermita, Devanadera, Esperon and Syjuco, Andaya, and Yap are running for seats in Congress in the coming May elections.
Arroyo is also considering Deputy Executive Secretary Naty Dizon as a replacement for outgoing Secretary Raul Gonzalez, chief presidential legal counsel, who is running for mayor in Iloilo City.
There is no replacement yet for Secretary Edgar Pamintuan of the Luzon Urban Beltway, who is running for mayor in Angeles City.
“The President is considering [Lagonera and Dizon], this means she must talk to the two probable appointees first,†Ermita said in the briefing also aired live over government-run Radyo ng Bayan.
But he added that the President has no other choice for the posts that would be vacated by Andaya and Gonzales but the two.
Ermita said Arroyo has not yet spoken to Dizon and Lagonera. Lagonera is currently in the Middle East.
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